+1 for ‘Cross of Iron’ … “Demarcation …” :cry:

and also ‘Das Boot’ – although to be fair this was a 6hr+ mini-series cut down into a film.

Killing Fields is also very good – screenplay by Withnail & I writer and director Bruce Robinson.

I would also include ‘In Which We Serve’, ‘The Cruel Sea’ and ‘Angels One Five’ for some WWII nostalgia and propaganda.

Could be worse, they could be earning 150 – 250k for media content while supposedly representing constituents…

Good job Gove got sacked from the cabinet despite Mr Murdoch’s support …

… oh hang on a minute … 8O

I put the after market longer pins on the outside of my Hope f20s and it did make an improvement, but they still aren’t as ‘grippy’ as my Burgtec Mk3 Penthouse. Sadly I’ve broken 2 axles on the Mk3s and now a replacement has been out of stock for ever.

So the F20s have gone on another hardtail and a new set of Chromag Scarab pedals have been fitted – so far so good! Nice & grippy with a good wide platform. Spares also available, which is what attracted me to the Hope F20s in the first place.

What rubbish, Sky, like ITV, has to comply with impartiality rules set out by Ofcom.

True, but that hasn’t stopped Fox News (also broadcast in the UK) from falling foul of Ofcom’s rules.

Granted, Sky has worked hard to become a respected news source, but you can still remain impartial whilst being selective in the News coverage and the stories you run …

Ironically shaving the pubic area was once associated with being ‘clean’ as it reduced the chances of lice. However ‘Merkins’ were apparently introduced to cover up the genital scarring caused by STDs.

I don’t have a problem with body hair on women – I think it’s unrealistic to expect someone to be completely devoid of all body hair – hopefully they’ve got better things to do with their life and disposable income.

A number of female friends don’t shave their legs in winter and a few have admitted to not shaving their armpits – often due to skin irritation with antiperspirants etc But they do feel under pressure to conform to perceived social ‘norms’.

Years ago a lady doctor friend once told me that there was a correlation between pubic grooming and social-ecomonic class in her GP catchment area:

Lower class women would be neatly shaved
Middle class women would be trimmed
Wealthly horse-y type landowners would be completely bushy & unkempt

Despite shaving my face for 35+ years I still cut myself and get ingrowing hairs – I wouldn’t trust myself to shave ‘Steven and the Twins’ on a regular basis … I did this before I had the snip and it wasn’t pretty. Don’t see any problem with trimming/grooming though. Surely it’s no different from having a haircut or trimming unwanted nose or ear hair.

I’m sure if I logged it 90% of that would be BBC4, 10% BBC2

Same hear, but I do listen to Radio 4 and BBC 6 Music quite a lot and I rely on BBC news (in all formats) to provide me with a broadly balanced perspective on current affairs etc.

Without the BBC, Sky would just turn into Fox News, a right wing propaganda machine.

Agreed.

On a slightly related note, I notice that Channel 5 has not been made to disclose salaries (although to be fair it just pays for content so probably doesn’t have many ’employees’) despite being publicly owned. Is this distinction purely because the BBC receives ‘public’ money whereas C4 is commercially self-funded through advertising and sponsorship?

What would happen if everyone (apart from Mr and Mrs M&S) stopped paying the TV license fee

The same argument could be applied to Council Tax, Income Tax etc …
I don’t use many of the facilities that the council provide so why should I pay for them? I can’t stand football, so why should I pay for it?

But as a society surely we have a moral & social responsibility to ensure that all needs, tastes etc are included and provided for.

Apart from Chris Evans obviously … ! ;-)

Seems the BBC has moved on very quickly from this story

Well to be fair it’s been one of the main topics of discussion on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ program this morning. As has the Gender Pay gap.

I’m all for transparency – as long as it’s fair and across the board. Whilst I fear the pay details of individuals in the Private Sector will always be shrouded in secrecy, if we are going to have transparency in the public sector then it should include NHS Consultants (which tops out at just over £100 p.a. not inc o/t) and the highest paid NHS executive which was reported at being £340k p.a. a few years ago in the ‘Daily Telegraph’.

What stands out in the BBC list though is the huge jump between the ‘middle ground’ and the amounts paid to Gary Lineker & Chris Evans.

Still riding my 2010 Surly Pacer – it’s carried me comfortably round various long distance routes including the Fred Whitton.

I’d buy another for sure. I just don’t need to yet! ;-)

Laura K is very gentle on Corbyn.

If my reading of the situation was correct she was given a body guard in the run-up to 8th June because of the death threats she received for being biased against Jeremy Corbyn

Laura Kuenssberg on £250,000 from the BBC?? I thought she got paid straight from Tory HQ.

Broadly speaking, despite the alleged leftist leaning of Auntie Beeb, I think the BBC News and current affairs is balanced.

Interestingly Stephanie Flanders the former BBC Economics Editor now works for JP Morgan with a rumored salary of £400k (before bonus).

I don’t have a problem with the market rate approach to a certain extent – I think the likes of Laura, Mishal Husain, Martha Kearney, Justin Webb and Eddie Mair could all probably earn more in the ‘private sector’.

Apart from John Inverdale though … he’s just a ***t ;-)

Let’s be honest – many of the people on the list have despite being born with a silver spoon in their mouth, probably grafted and worked hard to make themselves a viable commodity rather than just riding bikes and arguing on a forum. Their loss I reckon! :-)

I don’t mind Adam Boulton on Sky, Johnny Vaughan on Radio X or any ITV person getting 10 million a week as i’m not paying

Yes you are … just more indirectly. #FollowTheMoney

it raises the interesting question if income is more equal, does wealth stick to those who have always had it?

Slightly on a tangent, but in the recent past, with the exception of lottery, winners, footballers and rock stars if you were born poor then you would more than likely remain poor. i.e. The only way to be wealthy was to be born into a wealthy family.

The middle classes that formed during the last industrial revolution have only been around a relatively short time – but I would say yes, wealth probably does [and always will] stick to those who have always had it.

The gap is actually larger in pretty much every Scandinavian country

Mmm I was refering to ‘Gini’ but I also meant ‘perceived’ wealth gap

Gini:

https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/datablog/2017/apr/26/inequality-index-where-are-the-worlds-most-unequal-countries

Odd point about the private sector especially given the relative transparency on pay data

Pretty much every private company I’ve worked for in the last 30 odd years has had a culture of privacy surrounding an individual’s salary etc. Yes, everyone is obsessed with what other people are earning, but it’s still regarded as very personal information. Genuine question – where is this transparency you refer to? (apart from what is required by law – SI 2015/980 repealed the Companies Act 2006 which required disclosure of Directors remunerations in companies with t/o < £10.2m)

Regarding Wimbledon:

It’s just as bad as all the rest

A comparison of google images of courts between Wimbledon and say Roland-Garros will show the former with blank green hoardings and the latter plastered with BNP Paribas as the ‘headline’ sponsor.

but I don’t really understand why it’s in people’s favourites list

If I watched it today for the first time I would probably think the same … I only watched ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ for the first time 20 odd years after it was released and I was a bit ‘meh’ … even though pretty much everyone in it went on to be ‘stars’.

Some Kind of Wonderful, The Breakfast Club and Pretty In Pink are in my favourites list because they dealt with the universal ‘tropes’ of youth when I was a youth. My daughter also likes them as she too watched them as a teenager.

I don’t think SKoW is as strong as PiP – in hindsight John Hughes was probably already set to try and target his next generation with Home Alone etc – but SKoW had something else I think: apart from The March Violets! ;-)

The scene in the garage where Watts ‘coaches’ Keith to check his kissing is up to scratch taps into teenage zeitgeist in a way that only John Hughes could at the time I think.

In the private sector nobody cares.

This was kinda my point earlier … why don’t people care when it’s in the private sector – you [the consumer] are still ultimately ‘paying’ for it one way or another unless you yourself are the actually commodity that is being sold … in which case you are being used to a certain extent – (yes, I’m looking at you Facebook).

If we are aiming for transparency then surely this must apply to both public and private sector … but this seems to go against some kind of British notion of fair play where we feel uncomfortable about other people knowing about our income etc. Director’s remuneration is frequently disclosed so why not extend that to other management tiers?

Contrast this with tax returns in Norway … but then it’s easy to have transparency when the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ is not quite so large.

Scrap the license fee completely and replace with a mix of advertising and subscriptions

The advertising and the commercial breaks are the reason why I haven’t watched any of the TdF for the past couple of years – not from any socio-political standpoint … just the fact that they annoy me. I don’t really go in for watching many sports on TV but Wimbledon is like a breath of fresh-air thanks to the lack of major headline sponsorship/branding.

And she looked better before the ‘makeover’ scene

Agreed.

Some kind of Wonderful was in a similar vein. Cracking soundtrack too

I used to have a massive crush on both Molly Ringwald (who was originally offered the part of Amanda played by Lea Thompson) and Mary Stuart Masterson

And the soundtrack features Leeds post-punk/goth band The March Violets. 8) 8) 8)

Who are also the band performing in the Club!

If you want to pay more to watch a football match with Gary Lineaker then I don’t have any objections .. but if you want ME to pay when you could have had one of thousands of ex managers/players who can do nearly as good a job then I object.

Agreed – and I’m in a similar position regarding my broadband with BT. Over the past few years they’ve increased charges to cover some of their foray into the world of ‘content’ specifically football. And I resent this.

So why not change to a different broadband/content provider you ask?. Well they all seem to be as bad as each other at paying over the odds for vacuous, facile, presenters and content in which I had no interest.

Up until recently I didn’t mind so much with the BBC as it still made some ok programs and broadly speaking provided [relatively] balanced political commentary so seemed ok for the £147 per year it cost me.

However, I’m not sure how much longer this can be tenable though – I watch less [scheduled broadcast] television these days.

Many people seem happy to pay up to £600 per year to Sky etc

I can’t help thinking that the BBC’s purpose was to ‘Inform, Educate and Entertain’ whereas the purpose of Sky etc is to increase Shareholder value.

Chris Evans though … wtf

Not even mandatory, if you don’t have a TV and don’t use iPlayer, you don’t have to pay

Ok … so on a point of pedantry I should have clarified:

or is it the fact that the Licence Fee is a mandatory ‘tax’ for owners of a TV that people object to?

If Sky want to pay people that much to present then that is up to Sky… but they are paying with advertisers and subscribers money

But it’s still money from you as a consumer that, Sky, BT, BBC, Netflix, Amazon etc are spending on ‘Talent’. You are paying for it one way or another … or is it the fact that the Licence Fee is a mandatory ‘tax’ that people object to? Genuinely interested.

Rapidly approaching 50 here and I can confidently say that Yoga is one of the things that has kept me going both Snowboarding and Cycling.

You can quite easily follow some of the online resources such as Yoga.com that show you how to do each pose, but it can be handy to go along to a class to begin with; having someone else unsure you are doing a pose correctly can be very useful.

’10 minute yoga workouts’ by Barbara Currie is pretty good and I’ve also got ‘Yoga for Cyclists’ DVD (Andria Baldovin) which is quite intense.(not sure it’s available anymore – it is quite old)

Pain is below and towards inside of knee, and kind of feels inside, rather than superficial.

Mmmm, I highly recommend making an appointment with a *Sports* Physio.

If you are following ‘Coach to 5Km’ then it is unlikely to be an ‘over-use’ injury. Some physios now offer ‘diagnostic ultrasound’ which can pin-point injuries and damaged tissue.

Getting it looked at early will save you pain and frustration in the long run (see what I did there).

The physio will assess the situation and give you some tailored remedial treatment as well as strengthening exercises, routines and stretches* etc and then monitor your progress.

*Yes, I’m aware that there are some STW forum members who are vehemently opposed to stretching, but I tend to follow the advise of professional athletes and health care providers over angry middle-aged blokes who work in I.T. ;-)

Is this stuff any good?

‘Micro set’ (Blue) goes on the area where the decal is to be applied in order to reduce surface tension. This one smells a bit ‘vinegary’

Decal is applied and then Micro Sol (Red) softens the decal to the contours & detail of the model.

Both are good, but I probably use much more ‘sol’ than ‘set’. Preferable to Humbrol’s Decalfix which I find leaves a sticky residue (although Decalfix is quite useful with weathering powders)

I suppose the themes are timeless

Agreed, but when discussing the film with my daughter she commented that a ‘modern’ version wouldn’t work as it would just be 5 kids in room looking at their ‘smart’ phones …

I love the film but the only bit that makes me cringe is the scene where wrestler Andrew Clark (played by Emilio Estevez) makes the glass door shatter …

As with all sweaty, smelly items in our house we call in the Halo.

Used Halo products for quite while, but unfortunately it started to irritate my skin, so switched to Dettol Anti-bacterial Laundry Cleanser. Works wonders with whiffy running & cycling gear,

Think you can just find the camps by the piles of gas bottles and human waste

To be fair, there has apparently been considerable efforts made in recent years to clear the debris, rubbish and empty oxygen cylinders. (from the lower level camps at least – the higher altitude precludes removal – hence the bodies are left)

In terms of ‘camps’ when selecting a route up a high mountain, it will be broken down into stages. At each ‘stage’ a camp is setup, following the ‘climb high and sleep low’ approach with tents, food and fuel etc carried up to successive camp thus [hopefully] allowing adaption to altitude whilst the ascent is broken down into what can safely be achieved up and down in a day.

Contrasted with ‘Alpine’ climbing where everything is carried in a ‘fast & light’ approach, with minimal gear and no camps. (just the occasional bivvy or bivouac – which is French for ‘not getting any sleep’ ;-) )

they would have ample opportunity to do it away from permissive ROWs. CROW Act has helped in this regard

True, much of the land in under discussion here is subject to regular temporary closure (with the exception of PRoW)

http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/762741/Derwent-Hallam-2017.pdf

MTBers have their part to play in helping estates stay within the law on this issue. We are one of the biggest groups using tracks which criss cross shooting estates. If you see a dead raptor, a pole trap, take pictures, record the location and report it to the RSPB or the group in the OP

That’s a very interesting point – although if I’m correct (based on other threads on this forum) some of the local MTB advocacy groups are in discussion with this very landowner about increasing MTB access, which might present a conflict of interest …

Still love some of the old John Hughes films – took my daughter to see ‘The Breakfast Club’ at our local independent cinema, which showed the original film stock complete with ‘flashes’ and defects.

out of that epoch, I don’t think ’16 Candles’ stands the test of time. Although it has some great moments, it descends into ‘Porky’s’ frat-boy level on occasion.

Pretty In Pink and Some kind of Wonderful are still fantastic though! ;-)

Am I right in thinking that ‘Les Arcs’ falls just outside the National Trust and the belongs to same landowner that owns Bamford Edge & Moscar Moors etc?

Turns out I should pay more attention to my BMC newsletters:- Jeremy Archdale apparently sold Moscar Moors and Derwent Edge etc last year to the Duke of Rutland/Haddon Estate – which has just been implicated in the ‘illegal killing’ of wildlife.

if you want to see a VERY memorable band NOW

and in the spirit of contemporary noisy guitar bands may I recommend Drenge – seen her playing on Seattle’s own KEXP radio:

We haven’t got space for anything bigger.

The ‘perennial problem’ eh?

Most older efforts (with a few exceptions) generally get photographed, boxed up and relegated to the attic – and I don’t have the ‘production line’ volume capabilities you have!

I only asked about the scale as I’ve recently enjoyed the switch from mainly 1/72 to 1/48 – they take longer, but the scope for detail & weathering is far greater since much of these effects are either lost or inappropiate on many smaller 1/72 scale models.

I’ve got to make some new shelving though, to accomodate the larger projects!!

Work has started on a Revell Me262

Have you seen this month’s ‘Airfix Model World’ magazine? Nice article and builds of both Airfix’s & Revells Me262

For me, the real surprises were in three places that I felt had a memory. Call it a ghost, call it what you will

My dad lived in Germany for a few years and when visiting him once we travelled up to Fallingbostel and then visited Belsen

My sister used to live in Fallingbostel and a visit to Bergen-Belsen had a profound effect on me …

On a more uplifting note, a visit to the Derwent Pencil Museum in Keswick is a must!! :-)

what goes around comes around

Agreed … and all too often bands ‘Become the Thing They Hate’

I ‘came of age’ during the ‘Post-Punk’/Posi-Punk as I was slight too young for punk. Many of those ‘alternative early ’80s bands became stodgy overblown quasi-metal bands later when they signed to major labels, and mainstream rock became ‘hair-metal’ and I started ‘listening’ to more ‘acid house’/dance music. :-)

Although I never lost my love of noisy guitar music and as the late 80’s rave scene went corporate, ‘Grunge’ appeared like a breath of fresh air … until it too became a commodity and a fashion statement with the major labels trying to snap up anyone who sounded a bit ‘Grunge’ including ‘Counting Crows’, ‘Paw’ and ‘Stone Temple Pilots’ etc

Sadly many music scenes meet an early demise through the introduction of hard drugs, especially heroin. This happened with Punk, Post Punk and unfortunately quite spectacularly with ‘Grunge’ …

’twas ever thus …

pompous but meaningless paff of guns N roses and motley crue

Whilst I tend to agree that GnR ended up with an overblown sense of their own importance, they didn’t start out like that. In fact Duff McKagan is a fellow Seattle-ite who was in bands like ‘Ten Minute Warning’ who pretty much paved the way for many of the later so called ‘Grunge’/SubPop bands from the PNW as well as still collaborating with the likes of Mark Lanegan.

Anecdotally Duff was also one of the last people to speak to Kurt before he died.

Liking the ‘Zero’ very much HtS!

Are you sticking with 1/72 as your scale of choice?

A recent revelation for me has been Tamiya Sanding sponges – great for giving primer coats a quick smooth, especially in those awkward areas like wing joints where I often get a slight ‘grainy’ surface due to airbrushing ‘turbulance’ despite my best efforts to follow the contours.

Mad dog 20/20

Nah …

Thunderbird Blue if it’s a big day … Thunderbird Red if it’s an easy day.

I vaguely remember preferring Tad.

Tad were vastly underestimated I reckon. I recently picked up ‘8 Way Santa’ again after watching the film ‘Singles’ again recently for the Chris Cornell ‘cameo’ with the track ‘Jinx’.

8 Way Santa still sounds good – raw, and &8%’ed-up! ;-)

Saw them play the Duchess in Leeds

I used to love that venue … crap ‘lines of sight’ with the ‘L-Shaped’ room if it was busy, but there was something pretty special about that place!

Saw them alot in the earlier days, supporting mudhoney normally

Mudhoney were a great live band. Saw Hole supporting them and met Courtney Love well before she became Kurt’s squeeze. She was actually really friendly and polite – she borrowed my phone to call her agent.

Saw them at Sheffield Uni Octagon in November ’91 I think it was.

They were good, but not quite as good as I expected. Got the feeling that Kurt’s heart wasn’t in it that night as they didn’t have the ‘fire’ in their live performance*

* but with hindsight, I think this was quite a common phenomenon in the days when record companies etc would insist on long grueling tours to promote an album. In the ’80s and ’90s I would frequently go and see bands multiple times on the same tour and whilst some nights a band could be absolutely amazing, on another night they could be below par; tired, hungover, homesick etc.

But anyway – glad that I did get to see Nirvana and yes – I did buy the T-Shirt! ;-) – in fact I got to see pretty much all of the Seattle/PNW early 90’s bands. Many singers who are sadly no longer with us.